The Lunar New Year is approaching in two weeks' time. In the Chinese custom, it is important for families to have reunion dinner on the last day of the lunar year. The reunion dinner this year is on 30 January, 2014, Thursday.

Charcoal fish head steamboat and fish head vermicilli (mee hoon) soup are Xin Yuan Ji's (新源记) specialties. Enclave in the food paradise around the Bugis area, the restaurant is located at Tan Quee Lan Street and serves various Asian delicacies.

Every hearty meal should always end with something sweet. For desserts, it would range from ice creams to even desserts. For me, I love sweet desserts. Honeymoon Dessert (满记甜品) is one of the popular dessert joints in Singapore. It has many outlets in various locations like Bugis Junction, Vivio City, etc.

Each dessert costs less than SGD10.00. Though it may be a little pricey, it has a conducive environment where you can still have a chat with your friends over dessert.

Mango Grass Jelly in Vanilla Sauce (芒果白雪凉粉) was an interesting mix. The mango was a little sweet. It was the first time we ordered this and it tasted normal. (Food rating: 2.5/5)

As what the elders always say, ginger helps you to dispel stomach gas. As I had a little indigestion, I ordered Sweet ball in Sweet Ginger Soup (汤圆姜汤). The ginger soup was very spicy and hot. However, it gave me a kick. The sweet glutinous dumplings and spicy ginger neutralises the dessert. More importantly, the sweetness of the soup was just nice. (Food rating: 3/5)

Mixed fruits sago with Coconut Juice (鲜杂果米露－椰汁) was an interesting dessert. The dessert comprises of longan, mango, banana and many other fruits with 'tadpole eggs' sizzled with coconut juice. The fruits were freshly prepared. The dessert was normal even though I was not very keen with coconut. (Food rating: 2.5/5)

If you were studying or working late in the Dhoby Ghaut area and were feeling hungry, there is a restaurant that opens 24/7. You can enjoy food from western food to local delights. Hanis is a Halal certified restaurant that offers almost similar menu under the Han Group.

Most of the food outlets are closed around 10pm. Located at Wilkie Edge, Hanis opens all day-night for people who seeks food late in the night. The restaurant is centrally located between Little India Station and Dhoby Ghaut Station.

We had a super late dinner-cum-supper around 11pm at Hanis and ordered ourselves western food - Chicken Thigh and Chicken Chop. Both include vegetables and french fries.

Compared to the chicken thigh, I love the chicken chop better. The chicken was crispy and lightly charred. The meat was yet tender and juicy. The combination was the right one for me. The gravy was black pepper. It was mildly spicy and delicious. (Food rating: 3/5)

The Chicken Thigh tasted normal. The chicken thigh was nicely cooked but some parts of the meat was a little raw. Apart from that, the entire dish was a mere okay. (Food rating: 2.5/5)

Wang's Cafe is a combination of Ya Kun Toast Bread and Qiji Restaurant. The F&B food chain serves not only toasted bread with coconut jam and butter and savoury noodles like Mee Siam and Mee Rebus.

Mee Siam, local dish, was a delicious savoury noodles. I was disappointed by the noodles. The gravy was bland. I was expecting more from Wang's Cafe but the Mee Siam from Qiji's tasted better than the former. (Food rating: 2/5)

Mee Rebus tasted much better than Mee Siam. It is no necessary to add fried shallots to every dish. I still prefer having the noodles 'plain' to adding shallots to the noodles. (Food rating: 2.5/5)

I was recently introduced to Heng Ji Chicken Rice (享記雞飯) by a friend. This stall is easily located by the long queue. Enclave in the Chinatown district, one of the food centres is located at Chinatown Complex. At the food centre, you can find cheap and delicious local food. At Heng Ji, you will get to eat the delicious steamed chicken. It is said that the stall only operates at 4pm in the afternoon and closes at 7pm in the evening. So, if you want to try the chicken rice, do be prepared to queue.

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Selling at SGD20.00 for half a chicken, the chicken meat was tender and succulent. The meat was lean and soy sauce sizzled over the meat was savoury. (Food rating: 3.5/5)

Apart from the chicken meat, it is also important that the rice was fragrant and perfectly cooked. I loved the granular fragrant rice made from chicken broth and minced garlic. The chilli sauce was very unique too. It was different from the chicken rice outlets I have eaten islandwide. So, if you happen to eat the chicken rice, why not drop your comments here.

Rojak is a local salad made up of mixed vegetables and fruits like cucumbers, bean sprouts, turnips and pineapple, drizzled with a sweet and sour salad sauce of prawn paste, lime and sugar. The final touch was a generous drizzle of ground peanuts to add that extra oomph to the salad.

Nestled in the bustling neighbourhood at HDB Hub Toa Payoh, Soon Heng Rojak is very popular with neverending snake-like queues. It was an interesting phenomenal and I decided to join the 45-min queue to try the popular dish.

Despite of taking huge orders from customers, the line moved relatively fast. There was one customer who bought nine large boxes of rojaks and another six. The 'mixer' was working like a mechanical robot. He did not stop to rest. Another colleague was busily cutting the you tiao (long dough fritters) into smaller pieces. And another was busy taking orders from customers. It was like a production line where each person had a role to play.

Finally it was my turn to make the order. I ordered the large serving of Rojak that cost $5.00. The smallest serving costs $2.50. I immediately opened the box to try the salad. I wanted to know if it was really worth the queue and long waiting time.

Apparently, I was disappointed with the sauce as I expected more. The sauce is crucial for a good salad. First of all, too much sauce had spoiled the entire salad although the youtiao was thoroughly soaked into the sauce. Secondly, the sauce was too sweet. I could taste the sugar granules in the sauce.

To sum up, I think I rather skip this stall and buy from better rojak stalls. I have tried some and believed that there are better ones out there.

19 January 2014

We had dinner at the food court again and saw the long queue at Soon Heng Rojak stall. We still could not fathom the reason of its popularity despite of its super sweet sauce and cold chewy fried fritters.

We went to Mini Steamboat Delight again as we had cravings for the rich tom yum broth and spicy chilli sauce. Without fail, we ordered a lot of food and found it challenging to finish them. We would be saying 'Wows' and 'delicious' each time we patronise the stall.

Taipei 101 has the largest and finest food court in Taipei. Located at basement level 1, the foodcourt offers a wide variety of cuisines, ranging from Chinese, Korean, Hong Kong and even fast food. This is indeed a gem to try out great foods.

The Agnès b. CAFÉ L.P.G. was a self-service or grab-to-go coffee corner that offers a wide variety of French snacks. These include baguette sandwich, salad, patisserie and cookies, all in French traditional way and delicious taste.

Located within the Eslite Mall at Xinyi District, the cafe offers a relaxed space for busy people. The cafe creates an ideal space for customers to enjoy and relax during delightful shopping spree.

The total dining experience cost TWD 485, which was equivalent to SGD21.00.

Chicken and Onion White Baguette (烤雞法國堡) was served with salad on the side. The white baguette was hot but the chicken and onion between the baguette was cold. The baguette was disappointing. (Food rating: 2/5)

The Vanille(胡桃香草酥派) made from Mille-feuille and vanilla custard topped with walnuts. The Mille-feuille was great. However, the vanilla custard was a little coarse in texture. Combined, the patisserie was acceptable. With TWD200, you can order a set of a patisserie and a beverage. (Food rating: 2.5/5)

Chen San Ding's black sugar "frog" fresh milk drink (陈三鼎黑糖青蛙鲜奶创始店) is one of the famous stalls in the Gongguan area. If you think that you will be drinking frog eggs, you are wrong. The "frog" was just tapioca flour balls soaked in thick black sugar, making it look frog eggs.

臺一牛奶大王 is one of the popular dessert joints for young and old. 臺一牛奶大王 (Tai Yi Niu Nai Da Wang) translates as Taiwan's best Milk King. It sells both hot and cold winter desserts that has many customers queuing.

If you are looking for a place to eat that covers some of the Taipei specialties, try Wan Nian Shang Ye Da Sha (萬年商業大樓). Located at the basement of the shopping mall, there are many food outlets such the Pork Rib over rice (排骨饭), beef noodles, hot pot and many more.

A hidden treasure in the shopping mall, Kingwueng Pork (金园排骨) started its business in 1973 and is still going strong. It is one of my favourite food places whenever I am in Taipei.

I fell in love with the food since I was recommended by a close friend seven years ago. Since then, it was a permanent pit stop whenever I was in the country. The fried chicken thigh and fried pork ribs were the juiciest and succulent meats I have ever eaten in Taipei. Not only the fried meats were heavenly, the restaurant offered a scrumptious meal that was value-for-money. Each meal always comes with a bowl of rice, plate of meat and a bowl of hot soup.

The dining experience cost us TWD320 (SGD13.50) for two person.

Fried Tofu (炸豆腐) is a must-have. For the first time, we ordered side dishes at Kingwueng. The tofu was amazingly delicious. The cubes were crispy in the outside and very soft in the inside. They were then topped with spicy fermented soy bean, which was neither too salty nor too spicy. The tofu was divine. (Price - TWD30/ SGD1.30) (Food rating: 4.5/5)

Fried Pork Ribs (炸排骨) was simply heavenly. The meat was tender and juicy even though it was fried. The marinating sauce was unique with a dash to black pepper. The pork rib was chopped into smaller pieces for customers' convenience. Even so, the meat was so tender that it was easy to bite and tear. (Price - TWD110/ SGD4.80)(Food rating: 4.5/5)

On top of the Pork Ribs, we also ordered Fried Chicken Thigh (炸鸡腿) rice. The chicken meat was super tender and the skin was very crispy. The marinade was both fragrant and delicious that it was very addictive. You would simply want to order another one. (Price - TWD120/ SGD5.25)(Food rating: 4.5/5)

The Braised Minced Meat Rice (卤肉饭) came with the set. Though the bowl looked small, it was deep. The rice was topped with braised minced meat, gluten, braised vegetables and bamboo shoots. There was a nice fragrance from the braised minced meat. The braised vegetables (cabbage) was very soft. Note that the toppings, besides the braised minced meat, might change from time to time. (Food rating: 4/5)

Finally, we were served with a bowl of seaweed soup. There was a generous serving of seaweed and the soup was sweet. I don't think they added any MSG in the soup. (Food rating: 3.5/5)

Upon our arrival in Taipei, our first pit stop was Ximending - the place where you'll find great food, celebrities and fashion altogether.

Before we had great food, we had a feast for the eyes. Taiwanese Celebrity Star, Lan Cheng Long (藍正龍) was having a publicity event for the drama series titled Chocolat (流氓蛋糕店). Lan looked exactly the same as he was on TV. Of course, I did not shout his name. I merely shouted in my heart.

After that, we searched for the highly recommended restaurant, Jin Man Yuan Pai Gu Mei Shi (金满园排骨美食). The restaurant, located at the junction of Wuchang Street (武昌路) and E-mei Street (峨嵋路), was easy to find, especially with a eye-catching banner stating its long history. It was believed to have more than 40 years history. Its specialty was the pork rib rice. We ordered two rice dishes and a couple of sides to try.

Whilst waiting for the food, diners were constantly walking into the restaurant. But the food was forgettable. The bad dining experience cost us around TWD310, which was equivalent to SGD 13. I do not recommend this place if I were to visit Taipei for the first time.

The Pork Ribs Rice (豬排飯) was supposedly their specialty, but it was very disappointing. The pork ribs were served cold. The meat was bland due to poor marinade. The meat was not tender and the pickled cucumbers were not refreshing. (Food rating: 2/5)

The Chicken Thigh rice (鸡腿饭) was slightly better than the pork ribs rice. The chicken were moist in the inside and crispy in the
outside. The set came with a bowl of soup. However, the chicken was covered with a thick layout of flour and the marinade was merely so-so. It was not fragrant as what we expected, especially when it was highly recommended by a friend. (Food rating: 3/5)

The Pig Trotters (猪脚) were very well stewed. The meat was so tender - that it disintegrated using a fork. The meat was savoury. (Food rating: 3/5)

The braised eggs (五香卤蛋) tasted normal like any plain hard boiled eggs. We suspected that these eggs were not in the sauce for very long (say, 1-2 hours), before they were served. Though these eggs were well cooked, they lack taste. (Food rating: 2/5)

I always love Egg Flower Soup (蛋花汤). I went hysterical when I saw
it in the menu on the wall. The soup, when served, was bland. The egg
were a huge lump. It was as if they took a bowl of hot soup and then
broke the egg into the soup without stirring. (Food rating: 2/5)

Lastly, we ordered Spring Rolls (春卷). Interestingly, the spring
rolls were wrapped with a thick layer of flour. The insides were a
generous portion of spring onions and oil was seeping out from the
rolls. These were too much for me. (Food rating: 2/5)

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Welcome to ijustwantfood.com!! My blogging expedition started when I took a university course in 2008. It was an assignment on how to create buzz through blog. sateyourhunger, the blog's name, featured epicurean feasts in Queens, New York. This blog does not accept any form of advertisement and uploads genuine feedback on the food. All expenses are paid by the blogger myself. So, if you wish to recommend a place, just drop me a liner or two in the comments box.